New old Hi-Power clone (FEG)

My newest acquisition is a surplus FEG clone of the Hi-Power. It is another classic design which I wanted for my collection. An original FN would certainly by nice, but as they stopped production a year ago, prices are steadily climbing. For my purposes, the FEG fits in nicely. It is an early version, being a close copy of a pre-Mk II FN. Parts are interchangeable. The most notable difference is the bottom of the front strap is flared out a bit on the FEG.

It was "farm fresh" but with a very good bore when I got it off of Gun Broker. The grips were halfway coated with peeling black paint with no finish at all in spots. I was able to scrub off the paint and applied a couple coats of Tru-oil, then toned down the shine with steel wool.

A few crusty spots on the metal were scrubbed down with a piece of copper Chore-Boy, then the whole thing rubbed down with Flitz.

A little bit of pitting and good amount of holster wear remain, but I kind of like the well used look, gives it character.

Trigger pull was pretty stiff, so I opted for the often recommended removal of the magazine disconnect. The pin holding the disconnect to the trigger took a lot of pounding to remove. After I finally got it out, I attempted to pop out the disconnect as all the manuals and videos say to do. No go. I ended up having to punch out the trigger pin (came out with no trouble) and remove the trigger assembly. The disconnect was stuck in there pretty good, I had to use a pliers to pull it out.

It went back together OK, but later discovered that when the disconnect is in place, it helps to stabilize the trigger lever. With it removed, the trigger lever was occasionally able to pop out of its slot, making the trigger non-functional until the slide was removed and the lever put back into place.

The trigger itself also seemed kind of loose and sloppy. I removed the trigger assembly once again and observed that the end of the trigger spring that rests on the trigger lever lug appeared to be bent sllightly upward. I straightened the spring, put the assembly back in the gun, and discovered that the spring now put more tension on the spring lever, keeping it properly in its channel. The trigger sloppiness also disappeared. Problem solved.

I ran 100 rounds of Geco FMJ through it without a hitch. Ejection was very positive and consistent. Accuracy was pretty good.

I think I got a good shooter for a fraction of the price of a FN, I'm pretty happy with it.

Good purchase! I bought mine slightly used in 1988 or so. It has gone bang every time, and it fits my hand well. The ergonomics are great.

The trigger is kind of gritty, but back when I was young I didn't know any better. By now it really doesn't matter. I can shoot it pretty well, and its trigger will never be as good as my fancier semiautomatics anyway, so I haven't bothered trying to improve it. (The real answer might have something to do with laziness.)

If it serves the OP for as well and for as long as mine has served me, the OP got a fantastic deal!

one of those was my first 9mm , had it for years until trading it on a marlin 336 , it wasn't a excellent pistol but it was a dang good one for the $200 I gave for it, I would like to have it back again

Here’s mine, after I cleaned it up and sanded all the crappy black paint off the grips. SInce this picture, I’ve resprung it and changed grips. It is accurate and reliable, and I really like it for $230. My plan is to not bother changing anything else and just shoot the ever-loving $&@“ out of it.

She's a beaut. The 1911 gets most of the love, but I always thought the P35 BHP was JMB's real contribution to the handgun world. Pure class right there.

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It's hard to say how much of the design was JMB's and how much was Dieudonne Saive's, one of FN's senior gun designers, and the person who worked with JMB in developing the Hi-Power.

Dieudonne Saive was the one who was responsible for the double-stack magazine and made the mags work. Saive also spent the 9 years AFTER JMB's death refining and completing the design, making the gun smaller and slimmer, before taking it into production in 1935. He also went on to further develop and improve some of JMB's machine gun's designs (including the BAR) for FN. He became FN's chief designer.

While the BHP is a good design, I've always thought the way the trigger released the hammer, which was through a sear lever IN THE SLIDE instead of an inside-the-frame trigger bar, was downright awkward. (This was apparently necessary because better designs were protected by patents.) Some of Saive's later improvements and refinements included features that weren't possible until some of Colt's patents expired -- which means that JMB was still playing a role after his death.

The original JMB design was striker-fired and substantially different than the gun we know today. It was called the "Grande Rendement," which was French for "High Yield" or "High Power" (depending on the translator's mood, and while it was designed for the French military, the French passed on the design.

FEG did a good job of making affordable guns cloned (almost) from Browning and Walther. I have one of the PPKs style .380s that shoots and handles better than the original... so much so I sold off an Interarms PPKs rather than take it to a ‘Smith (it started needing work) and kept the FEG. I don’t regret sending the PPK away at all!

Took the FEG out to the range again today, along with a 1911 and a Glock. In spite of having the heaviest trigger (by a pretty good margin) I shot it more accurately than the other two. Generally, I shoot Glocks better than my other guns (since I use one for carry, most of my practice time is dedicated to Glocks), so I was a bit surprised by the results.

Until 2 days ago I had never seen a flared toe on the magwell of an FEG. Now I've seen 2. Must have been a specific request from a large customer like a police or military contract.

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Mine has the flared bottom on the front strap as well. I have a Browning, the FEG, and a Mauserwerke which I have been told was assembled from FEG parts by Mauser.

Mine are all stock, still have the magazine disconnect. All are good shooting pistols however the FEG and the Browning are the more accurate (FEG just a bit more) with the Mauser a distant third. The Mauser is much more worn than the other two.

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